Hidden in a secure vault in Star City, Meredith Frost sat in front of a microscope staring at a sample of her blood. The woman formerly known as Caitlin Snow, sighed and rubbed her eyes, leaning back in her chair. She had been researching her blood for over four hours with no headway, trying to find a way to control and hone her powers. The good side of her was in control, the evil side having dissipated when Savitar had been destroyed. There was still darkness in her soul, especially having lived the life that she had and having seen the things that she had. The goodness though, her inherent sweetness, eventually won and now here she was. A changeling. Half light, half dark, trying to find her way and place in the world.

That was what drove her to Star City. It was a place of grayness, of ambiguity. There was more than right and wrong, there was room to do what needed to be done if the ends justified the means. Using her resources Frost sought out Oliver Queen, knowing he would have a place where she could lay low and no one would be able to find her unless she wanted them to. She still had Caitlin's phone, but with every number blocked except Barry and Cisco, just in case. She had also installed software Oliver had obtained from Felicity to make her phone untraceable.

Outside her residence she heard the secure elevator ding. It had to be Oliver, he was the only other person whose palm print was encoded to open and operate the machine. Frost got up to open the door when her cell phone pinged, indicating a text message. Her normally cold blood froze in her veins, and she knew that there was no coincidence in Oliver showing up now. Quickly she grabbed the phone and turned to face the door as it slid open, Oliver standing grim in his daily dress attire for being mayor of Star City. Frost's stomach plummeted.

"I see Cisco managed to text you. He called me just a few minutes ago." Without preamble the vigilante walked into the vault and the door slid closed securely. Quickly Frost scanned the text and had to place the device down quickly, feeling her hands begin to tingle, a sign her powers were activating.

"What happened to Barry?" Her voice shook. Normally her new powers and identity forced her to keep a reign on her emotions, but when it came to her family, things fell apart. Oliver looked at her sadly and sighed.

"When Cisco pulled Jay out of the Speed Force prison, he created an imbalance. Someone needed to be in there to anchor the energy. Barry went. He said it was penance for making Flashpoint, for changing the lives of those he loves. They don't know if or when he will ever come back from there. Cisco had tried to Vibe him, but he can't reach Barry."

No. Barry was supposed to have his happy ending with Iris. She was the one who was supposed to end up shattered and alone. Why would he willingly give up his life? He must love her more than Frost realized. Deep inside, something broke, the small part of her soul that was still Caitlin Snow cried out in protest. The man that Caitlin had loved secretly was gone, loved more than Jay and possibly even more than Ronnie.

"What are we going to do?"

"You are going to stay here and keep working on your powers." Oliver crossed his arms and planted his feet, voice rumbling like it did when he was the Green Arrow. "You owe that to Barry. There are plenty of people staying in Central City to fill the gap until Barry can return. Wally and Garrick. Cisco. Even Harrison from your Earth-2 will be there. You have time."

Frost wasn't surprised that Oliver could see right through her, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know she knew. She quirked an eyebrow and asked,

"What do you mean?"

"Come off it, Frost." Oliver scoffed. "I know you Caitlin. You would do anything for family, including risking your powers to protect them."

The tall man moved forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, one of the few people who weren't afraid of her powers. It did her heart good to know she had at least one friend in this, even if he was more of a stranger than anything else. It helped anchor her to who she really was, not who she was becoming. She was still Caitlin Snow, she had only adopted a new persona to get her through until she could return home.

"You will be no good to them until you come to terms with your powers and who you are now. You have time. Central City is protected and Barry isn't going anywhere. Learn control. Cisco will let us know if anything changes."

Hey friends. Let me know if you are interested in seeing where this will go. I have an idea, but I'm not sure how often I will be able to update. Feedback helps smooth the process out. SG84.